Little-known Information on Ninjas

When one hears the word "Ninja", the image that usually comes to mind is a faceless deadly assassin clad in an identifying black mask, able to pull off many awesome stunts and fatal feats.
Would you believe, however, that the concepts of ninjutsu are more heavily related to monks, rather than simple killing?
The first and most common misconception about ninja is the black mask. In reality, this concept came from Japanese theater. In many traditional Japanese plays, tech crew is dressed in black outfits with masks, to signify to the audience "ignore this person- they are not part of the story". However, it was found that having a "ninja" character clad in similar clothes could really startle an audience by "coming out of nowhere", because no one expects the crew they are supposed to ignore to suddenly stab the protagonist. Thus, ninja were soon clad in black outfits to signify they were in "stealth" mode.
This is not to say ninja never worse masks, but when they did, the colors were more "earthy" colors that blended in with terrain- much like modern camouflage, only less advanced. However, more often than not, a ninja would dress... just like anyone else. Why? Well, how could you tell them from anyone else in a crowd? The best way to hide is in plain sight. This same tactic is observed in the insurgencies in Iraq. A soldier cannot tell a civilian is, in fact, a hostile until after he attacks.
Another misconception is the "ruthless paid killer" stereotype ninja seem to receive. While later in ninja history, the most infamous clan ( the Iga ) became this to some small extent, ninja actually believed in balance. This meant both balance in one's self, and balance in local government. Ninja thrived most in feudal Japan, and more often were hired by peasants that had no protection against the samurai of Daimyo (feudal lords) that opposed the Daimyo of the land they lived on. Eventually, these Daimyo realized the prowess of the ninja, and some clans "sold out", so to say.

Unfortunately, history favors the victor. A very famous name in Japanese history is Oda Nobunaga. This man feared ninja society, and made it his personal goal to wipe out any clans that he could. Because of his actions, ninja villages were burned down, and much of their history was lost. During his reign, utterance of the word "ninja" was punishable by death. It is probably obvious, by now, that he ensured any depictions of the ninja were negative and villainous.

The successor of Nobunaga hired one of the strongest surviving clans- the Iga- for protection during and after his rise to power. However, this was near the end of the feudal period, and soon the ninja's services were no longer needed. They ended up becoming glorified door-holders for lords, and very few remained to pass on what true ninjutsu really was.